GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a rare road win, things are looking up again for Kentucky, and most of the key figures on the Wildcats’ roster left Florida feeling good about their 88-79 victory over the Gators.

UK (22-8, 12-5 SEC) had previously lost consecutive road games and entered Tuesday’s with a 5-8 record away from Rupp Arena. Rebounding was a common theme in most of the losses, and that is perhaps the most positive trend in this week’s Stock Watch:

STOCK UP

► Bigs on the boards: Alex Poythress, Marcus Lee, Skal Labissiere and Isaac Humphries combined for nine points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s loss at Vanderbilt, casting fresh doubt on a season-long worry that the Cats’ frontcourt isn’t good enough for a deep postseason run. But that quartet restored hope against Florida, combining for 32 points and 29 rebounds.

Poythress, Lee and Labissiere each grabbed at least eight boards and Poythress produced his first double-double in conference play. Lee’s 10 blocks in the last four games are also encouraging for a UK team that has lacked an elite rim protector this season.

► Isaiah Briscoe’s shot selection: The freshman guard is an abysmal 3-point shooter (5-for-36 this season) but for some reason let fly eight of them (making one) in the last four games. Oddly enough, in addition to being an elite finisher around the rim, he’s a terrific jump shooter from just one step inside the arc – and he thrived there Tuesday against the Gators.

Briscoe hit 4 of 7 shots, including three that were mere inches inside the 3-point line, and scored 13 points to go with three assists, three rebounds and no turnovers. Maybe more importantly, he sank 5 of 6 free throws. That’s huge for a guy who came in shooting 39.6 percent from the line. While Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray get all the attention in UK’s backcourt, Briscoe has now scored in double figures 16 times in 28 games.

► Ulis and Murray’s record pace: Both are likely going to rewrite UK’s record books. With his sixth double-digit assist output in eight games, Ulis is averaging 9.8 dimes over that span. He’s up to 207 assists for the season, currently third in UK single-season history behind Roger Harden (1985-86) and John Wall (2009-10). He’s on pace to break Wall’s record (241) with another five games, which is easily doable as the Cats have a regular-season finale, SEC tournament and NCAA tournament to go.

Meanwhile, the freshman Murray, who dropped 18 points in the second half against the Gators and now has nine consecutive 20-plus-point performances, ranks fourth on the school’s single-season list for made 3-pointers. He has hit 95, behind only Derrick Miller (1989-90), Travis Ford (1992-93) and Jodie Meeks (2008-09). At his current pace, Murray would need seven games to break Meeks’ record of 117.

Murray is averaging 22.5 points in SEC play and 19.9 for the season, putting him fourth on the UK freshman scoring list with 597 points, behind Julius Randle (2013-14), Wall and Brandon Knight (2010-11). Based on his average, Murray could break Knight’s record (657) in just three more games.

► Derek Willis’ ankle: The junior forward has missed the past three games with a right ankle sprain, but he returned to light practicing Sunday and Monday and was in uniform Tuesday night, warming up with the team before the game. He looked healthy enough to play if needed and seems likely to return Saturday against LSU.

“I wouldn’t have played him – unless he asked me,” coach John Calipari said, grinning. “We’ll see. When we get back tomorrow, they’ll tell me (if he’s ready to play).”

STOCK DOWN

► Kentucky’s defense. After six consecutive games holding opponents under 40 percent shooting from the field, the Cats allowed Vanderbilt and Florida to hit 41.9 percent and 42.6 percent, respectively. The Commodores and Gators also both had just five turnovers against a Kentucky team that forced double-digit turnovers 22 times in its first 28 games.

Equally concerning was the performance of Florida center John Egbunu, who muscled his way to a career-high 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting, including nine dunks. The Cats were clobbered on points in the paint (42-26), just as they were at Vanderbilt (36-26). Should UK draw an NCAA tournament opponent with a bully on the block, it could spell trouble.